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Three people with MIT ties were named to the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2020 this week.
Renée Richardson Gosline, a senior lecturer in management science at MIT Sloan; Iyad Rahwan, an associate professor of media arts and sciences at the MIT Media Lab; and Alex Edmans, PhD ’07, are part of the 30-member class who “are tackling the big issues of our times with rigor and energy.”
“The 30 thinkers are truly global in reach and aspiration,” said the international ranking group in a statement. “We salute them, look forward to watching their ideas develop, and hope that they succeed in putting a dent in the universe.”
Here’s a closer look at the three from MIT:
Renée Richardson Gosline
According to Thinkers50, Gosline is an “emerging and persuasive thought leader on the new digital reality.”
Gosline is a research scientist at MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy. Her research focuses on the intersection of behavioral science and technology, as well as how structure and technology impact performance and self-perception.
Gosline is a customer experience expert, and she is currently studying who prefers artificial intelligence input over human input when it comes to decision-making. Gosline has a recent paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology on “status paradox:” when higher-status brands lead to reverse placebo effects and lower performance.
Iyad Rahwan
Rahwan is “an important voice on the ethics of AI,” according to Thinkers50.
Rahwan’s work is focused on the intersection of computer and social sciences, specifically on collective intelligence, large-scale cooperation, and social aspects of artificial intelligence.
One of his ongoing projects is the Moral Machine, a platform for gathering human input on decisions made by intelligent machines (like self-driving cars).
Alex Edmans
Edmans is a professor of finance at the London Business School, and the academic director of the Centre for Corporate Governance.
Thinkers50 calls him a “fresh voice on finance and investment strategies — and much more.”
Edmans is the author of “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit.” The book highlights why and how companies can grow both profits and social value. It’s set for release in March 2020.
